It’s a boy! Gender reveal of baby gorilla

The zoo welcomed its newest gorilla in October, born to father Gugas and mother Kamili, but with Kamili keeping the new born so close, it took a while to determine the sex of the baby.

Senior keeper, Lara, said: “Everything is going really well. It took us a good couple of months to work out what the gender of the baby was, because Kamili was just so attentive. She wouldn’t let the baby out of her sight, grasping him really closely to her chest with his legs wrapped around her hips. So it was an opportunistic moment when we actually got the confirmation.”

She continued: “We couldn’t be happier, the whole team is absolutely delighted, especially after the last couple of years with covid, it’s really nice to have a positive news story.”

For the gender reveal this morning, which went surprisingly well, multiple large boxes filled with food and coloured paper were placed in the outdoor paddock. When the gorillas were let outside, they opened the boxes to get their food, which revealed the bright blue coloured paper.

Belfast Zoo Curator, Julie Mansell, said: “The newest addition to our gorilla family is growing really well. He’s very healthy and strong and is getting the best care from Kamili, who is a fantastic, experienced mother.

Now that he is four months old, he is increasingly alert and is showing more interest in food and playing with the rest of the family troop. Over the next couple of months, he will be learning to eat, walk and climb, which is a joy to watch.”

The voters can choose between eight names, chosen by the zoo keeping team who care for the apes.

The names are:

• Raza – African origin meaning “hope”

• Mfalme – Swahili name meaning “king”

• Babatunde – means “father has returned” in the Yoruba language

• Topaz – a beautiful gemstone, chosen simply because the keeper likes it

• Bahati – Swahili name meaning “noble”

• Kofi – Ghanaian in origin meaning “born on a Friday”

• Johari – Swahili name meaning “jewel”

• Kenneth (Kenny) – after Belfast born actor and film maker, Kenneth Branagh

The names will be shared for a vote on Belfast Zoo’s Facebook page from Friday 28 January.

As animals who hunt for their meat, western lowland gorillas are endangered in the wild with the total population estimated to be less than 100,000, and Belfast Zoo is part of an internationally important breeding and conservation programme.

This great ape species is actually a quiet and peaceful animal who spend most of their days eating or sleeping.